Loading and unloading device for wire stranding, rope, and cable making machines



0ct.-19, 1948. A LARMUTH ETAL 2,451,754

LOADING AND UNLOADING DEvIcE FOR WIRE STRANDING,

ROPE, AND CABLE MAKING MACHINES Filed NOV. 14, 1945 Patented Oct. 19, 1948 WIRE MAKING MACHINES Allin Larmuthand Leonard James Larmuth, Worsley, England LApplication November 14, 1945, Serial No. 628,424 In Great Britain December 13, 1944 4 Claims.

1 This invention has reference to wire stranding, rope and cable making machines of the kind in Y which a tubular frame, having openings in its walls, is rotated by mechanism at one end which twists strands together into a rope or cable, the i and the stranded rope or cable is wound up on l haul-off drum at the twisting end of the tubular frame.

The mounting of the bobbins in the tubular frame is a matter of diiliculty and often takes considerable time as the bobbins are heavy and are indeed often of great weight, and it is a serious matter when a large and expensive machine has to be stopped for any lengthy period while the bobbin mounting isV done; it is therefore highly desirable to reduce the stopped time as much as possible.

There are only two directions in which the bobbins can be mountedand dismounted, namely by lowering them through the openings in the tubular frame or raising them from below. To

lower them means that over-head tackle must be used to lift the bobbins, carry them along the machine to the desired place and then lower them exactly into place where the spindle can be inserted and then lower them further into place; the difficulties in doing an operation of this kind with a swinging tackle will be easily appreciated.

To overcome thisdiiculty it has been'proposed to mount the bobbins from below and to this end rail sections have been mounted below the tubular frame and under each cradle a platform has been provided on which the bobbins can rest, the platform being raised and lowered by a hand operated wheel at one side of the machine working through chain tackle and snatch blocks so that the platform is pulled up to the desired position for insertion and removal of the spindle after which the full bobbin is lowered into the cradle or the empty one is lowered to the rails.

This mechanism while having advantages over the `use of overhead tackle has disadvantages such as the complicated nature of the chain tackle which hangs down at both sides of the machine near every cradle, and the manual operation is still slow and heavy.

STRANDING, ROPE, AND CABLE The present invention has for its object to pro vide an improved means for lifting the bobbins into the tubular frame which will be simpler in construction and operation and will not have any chains or hanging gear, such as has the existing types of gear.

According to the invention a wire strandingor rope or cable making machine of the kind referred to and having a track below the tubular frame for use in upward loading, is provided with a plat form or platforms carried on transverse members across the track and pushed upward from below byA a power lifting device such as a jack, the bobbins which run along the track being stopped over the platform and centered thereon in the position exactly required and lifted into position or conveniently lowered and rolled away when empty.

The invention is more particularly set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein- Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of a machine according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is asvectional elevation on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of the track showing the lifting gear.

As shown in the `drawings bobbins A, only one of which is shown in the drawings, are mounted detachably on spindles 5 carried in bearings 6 in the cradles 'l inside the rotatable tubular frame 8, the frame rotating round the cradles, the wire being drawn off the bobbins, through eyes--not shown in the drawing-in the tubular frame along which the strands are passed to the right-hand end in Fig. 1 where they are twisted and wound on to a haul-off drum.

Below the tubular frame B is a track 9 extending from end to end of the machine along which the bobbins Il can be run, and in the track 9, below the bearings 6 for the bobbin spindles 5, centering stops l0 are provided in the form of V slots in the track to arrest the bobbins as required when they are rolled valong the track.

On each side of these stop positions, slots l l are made in the track and beneath them are transverse members having upstanding and inwardly means 3 if these are raised so as to lif't the bob'bin it will automatically drop or settle in-to an exactly parallel position and lie on lthe transverse members I2 as in a cradle, and 'the central hole of the bobb'in will be vertically below the detachable spindle 5 in the cradle spindle bearings 6 above, in addition thefb'evelled' 'edgesiof the" transverse members I2v will centre 'the bobbin across the track so that if' the bobbin be raised to the correct height when 'the tubular frame 8 is turned so that on'eaof-its openings I4 is underneath, itA lwill pass ,upward 4 9, and to this end the platform or the head of the jack or lifting device may be adapted toturn.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wire stranding, or rope, Ior cable, making machine, comprising a rotatable tubular frame,

" i 'bearings supporting"sad'rframe, means for rothrough the centre of. the opening' andfits'fcentral 1; l

hole will be exactly aligned with the bearing holescf so that the spindle 5 can easily be slid through,

thus quickly mountingthe bobbin inth'e bear-`V`v ings 6.

In order to lift the bobbin, and to have no irri-, VA

pediment to the quick insertion'of the-spindle,l,l

and of course removal of the spindle. when the bobbin is empty, .the transverse members I2 are lifted from below |by mechanism such as a jack l5 "which mayfbehydraulic; o'rlmechanical, and ``which operatesunder the plate'orba-se- |3.-v There of transversefmmbers, all provided-'with power from asuitable l"soi-ircej-eacl'i being individually l n operated by a ypedal I6 or oth'erfconvenient If desired, instead of having a fixed jack at y each *positionva movable jack may be used, in "whiche'vent Vmeans are Vprovided tov ensure the correct centering-bf the jack 'undereach pair of transverse members: soy that the lift is always cen" 'gtral andvertica'lbnthecentre. In this arrangement, instead of mounting the-*transverse members 'across the'f track *at-positions under each bobbin cradle-gaps may bemade'in the'track and the transverse members mounted permanently on la movable jack so that the Whole-lifting gear can be put into place as andv when Arequired and the transverseimembers'pushed up through the gaps 'in the track bythe jack or other lifting del It will 'be appreciated that while the invention has Ybeen described herein with reference to the Amounting of bobbins, the mechanism is also used 'in the reverse manner for 'the equally important work of removing the empty bobbins which, even when empty,"often have a considerable` weight,v andare awkwardto handle and manipulate.

In order'to'javoidaccidents while the bobbins arelheing 'mounted and dismounted rit is very necessary .that the'tubular frame 8 should remain quite still .land'=a"trip device such as Il is provided 2 whichoutsoi the main driving motor of the machine, such machines'lbeing usuallydr'iven-by an tating said frame; bobbin supports in said frame, a track below said vframe on which lbobbins can be run to positions, said frame having openings :belowfsaid bobbin supports to allow acces-s from Ybelow to sai-d bobbin supports, transverse members acrosssaid track below each of said bobbin supports, platforms carrying said transverse me'mbersfa. power lifting device below said platform and supporting it, by which ibobbins on --s-ai'd.-.trans'verse members can be raised t-o, and

loweredsfrom, said bobbin supports in said frame.

.'2. A wire stranding or rope or cable making machine compri-sing a rotatable tubular frame, bearingssupporting said frame, means for rotating saidframe, -bobbin supports-in vsaid frame, said frame having-openingsto--provide access to said -bobbin supports, af track below said frame on which -bobbins can =be` run, transverse members f 'across'said tracklbelow said bobbinsuppiorts, arresting means and centering means onv rsaid transverse members ito arrest and ycenter arbobbin below saidv bobbin supports, a platform below said low, electric'allybperated mechanism for rotating electric motor; as soonas, and as long as the. f

transverse members are lifted and which only closes thecircuit again when the transverse membersare fully down.

. 'As shown' in Figs. Zand 3 there may be at ini ktervals alongthe machine.' side loading or unload-VVV ing runways I 8,"whichfacilitate the loading and unloading ofthe bobbins by making it possible to put them on and'takeY them off without the need for running them the whole length of the track said frame, transverse supports yfor said bobbins across said track, a platform under said transverse supports; lifting means belowisaid platform, an electric switch in the circuit of said electrically operated mechanism for rotating said frame, said switch 'being opened by the raising of'said platform, and closed by its regaining its lowest position, whereby said frame cannot be rotated by said electrically operated mechanism-when said platform is raised.

4. A wire stranding yor rope `or cable making Vmachine comprising a rotatable tubular frame Vmounted in end andv intermediate bearings, a track below said frame on 'which to runV bobbins,

transverse members at-intervals across said track,

aA platformfunder said'transverse members on which they are mountedy-an'd a lifting `jack below .said pl-atformsfor raising and lowering said platform. A

AALL'IN LARMUTH. i LEONARD-JAMES LARMUTH. rN-oreferences cited. 

